SLAVE TO THE MATE BOND

CHAPTER 4*ARLO PACK*

||*RHIAMON*||

"Hey, hey." I groaned, squinting my eyes open as I felt hands shaking me awake, and I wondered if I had slept off while doing the laundry again. If I had, my step-mom wouldn't shake me awake, but would probably douse me with soap water. Unless it's Adriel.

"Rhiamon, wake up, we're here." I heard the voice clearly this time, and my eyes snapped open wide, and I looked around frantically.

"What happened? Did they do it?" I asked, moving in place as I frantically checked myself to see if something happened to me. There should be a sign to show I was touched, right? Or would there be none because I was asleep? I had no idea and I raised my head to Hermione, staring at her with a questioning gaze.

"Why are you checking yourself like that? You act weird." Hermione grumbled, standing up along with the other girls and she stretched out her hand for me, helping me stand on my feet.

"I'm checking to see if the guards did it, when they came back to the carriage." I whispered in a heavy voice, and Hermione stopped, turning to look at me with raised eyebrows as she got down from the carriage.

"I don't know if this is an act or you're just stupidly innocent. They didn't do anything to you." Hermione answered, just as a guard shoved us to move and we both stumbled forward.

"How are you sure that they didn't?" I questioned. She gave me a dead look and I wondered if I was asking too many questions or the wrong question.

"Because if they did anything, the pain would've woke you up from your moonlight sleep. You are a virgin, so, of course, the force will probably cause a tear and it will hurt, which will wake you up, and you'll probably have blood all over you right now or passed out." Hermione explained and I stood still for a moment, visualising the image of what she just described and horror gripped me so hard, my legs shook against the earth.

Was that what they planned to do to me? To us? Why? Why would anyone want to hurt another person like that? That is pure evil. How can these men be called guards? They should be protecting the weak, not inflict pain on us.

"Rhiamon, snap out of it, you're trembling. It didn't happen, nothing happened. They missed that chance, the roots helped us, but the goddess was also on our side. Hey." I blinked a few times as Hermione tried getting me to snap out of my thoughts and I turned to her. Wondering why she wasn't scared when she knew this is what they would do to us.

"Are you not a virgin?" I asked, lowly, and she shook her head.

"I knew I'd be chosen this year, so I had s*x with my best friend and I enjoyed it. At least my first time won't be with some old geezer." Hermione explained, and I stared at her. She's smart, but what does it matter who we have our first time with?

Shouldn't it be if we want it or not? I think that should be what matters, but there's not much I know about these things. If I can get the Alpha supreme's favor, I'll definitely tell him about what these guards tried to do. They should be punished for even having such horrible thoughts, whether they succeeded or not.

"How old are you?" I asked her, because I know they start selecting from age seventeen in all packs.

"I'm nineteen. My father bought my freedom for two years. How old are you?"

"I am twenty-one." I answered suddenly, feeling embarrassed that I might be the oldest in the group and, probably the dumbest.

Hermione is already experienced, and this might be easy for her. I don't know about the other girls, but they look like they don't really care about what happens and I don't know if I should be worried about my first and how well I would do to gain the Alpha supreme's favour.

"Wow, you're uhh grown." Hermione commented and I nodded, casting my gaze back to the dirt on the ground.

"You're three hours late." I raised my voice at the sound of a different voice and the change in accent. I've mostly heard my family speak, but I can tell the people in our pack have a lighter accent different from what I am hearing right now.

"We had a minor setback on the way, some of the girls got sick." The guard in charge of our carriage replied. I peeked through the heads blocking my view to see who was talking.

"The Alpha supreme is upset, you know where to take the girls to join the ones who are already here. You can either take your leave when you've completed your task or stay one more night. Get moving." The brute's voice instructed, and we were led through what I collected must be the entrance border of the Arlo pack.

I do not know much about this pack nor the pack I grew up in, but I've heard from Adriel that the Arlo pack is the biggest in all the region, and also produces most of the merchandise purchased in the local markets. Which is the reason the other packs pay tribute by handing over their females to help the men relieve their stress. I had been confused when he told me, because it made no sense, but I later got to know guys were given to the Arlo pack as s*x slaves.

I peeked around to check the guards, and they all looked so serious, without any form of joy in their eyes, the rest of their faces were covered, even their hair and it would be hard to tell their identities.

My eyes roamed what might be the streets of the Arlo pack as the guards walked us to our destination. Some families stood outside their various dwellings staring at us while some kids waved with a smile. This feels so weird. I am sure they know why we are here and where the guards are leading us to.

Some of the dwellings were built further apart, while some are close to each other. From the outer appearance of the dwellings, one can tell the abundance of richness in the pack. But as we journeyed through the streets, turning different corners, and passing through a few bush parts, I couldn't help but wonder why they needed s*x slaves.

They have women in their pack, beautiful women, yet they still collect girls from other packs every year just for s*x? What happened to being with their own women? Perhaps they value their women more than us, but my step-mom said being chosen is an honour.

We stopped abruptly in front of a large building, and I gaped at how huge it was, as I looked around and I realised it was almost relatively isolated from the main sentiment of the pack. It wasn't a castle, so I couldn't call it one, but it was large and impressive. The houses in our pack are built with wood, but this seems like it was structured with earth or something similar. I'll have to ask Hermione later, she might know.

"How many do you have?" A gruff voice asked, but I saw no one in sight.

"Ten sir." The guard leading our group replied.

"Your pack was supposed to deliver fifteen girls. What happened to the other five?"

"Their freedom for another year was paid for." The guard leading our group moved closer to the small hut-like structure attached to the gate, pushing a pouch through a tiny opening.

A few minutes passed, while we waited for the goddess to know what.

"Let them through." A voice commanded, and slowly the gate to the building opened, letting us through. Without doubt, I knew this was the home of Alpha supreme, and it already screamed Alpha supreme.

We walked past sculptures which might be something significant to the history of the pack. We approached a different building to our far left when we all heard a high pitched wail and everyone stopped.

I turned my head in the direction of the voice, to see a young man being held down by two guards in front of two other men, one of which towered the others in height. The man's hair sprawls over his shoulder. I couldn't see his face clearly but he clearly had slightly thick stubble.

"Forgive me, Alpha, please it was a mistake." The man kneeling down begged, rubbing his palm together harshly, and the other man standing beside the taller one asked a question.

"What were the instructions given about her? The most important ones?" The one without the stubble asked and I wondered if he was the Alpha, he had to the be the Alpha supreme.

"To not feed her anything without the knowledge of her caretaker." The guy, kneeling down, responded in between sobs.

"Yet you thought it was okay to feed her berries? Wild berries at her." The taller guy spoke and I felt a weird stir in my mind. His voice is as meek as the gentle touch of dawn, his accent a lot thicker than that of the guards at the gate. Yet the thickness in his accent didn't affect his voice, he only enunciated his words more than normal.

I never knew a man could have a voice so meek and homey. I thought all men sounded gruff, rough or rude when they spoke, even Adriel had the edge of a certain hoarseness to his voice, yet this taller man sounded nothing like he looked.

"I am sorry Alpha supreme, please it won't happen again. She insisted, she was about to cry." The poor guy wailed, bowing his head repeatedly before the tall guy, and I looked between the two men, trying to figure out who was the actual Alpha Supreme. I wonder who they are talking about.

"Hmm, pathetic, you tried to poison her with wild berries. In fact you did, because she's still with the healer." The man without stubble said in an irritated voice, and I couldn't help but wonder what they'd do to the man. The girl or lady must be very important to one of the men, perhaps their mates.

"Cut off his ears and tongue. Since you cannot listen to simple instructions, and fail to test the wild berries before feeding them to her, then you have no use for both." The taller Alpha instructed.

I gasped silently, fear gripping me at the barbaric instruction that this Alpha just gave. What is wrong with men and their absurd way of thinking? How will that solve the crime the man committed? I think he heard my gasp because his head snapped in our direction and our eyes met.

There was something about us making eye contact that had me transfixed in place, unable to look away. Like his gaze had compelled me to keep looking at him, and that flutter in my mind returned again. His face pulled up in something I could only conclude to be displeasure, and I heard him growl before breaking eye contact and he turned to the offender.

"Get rid of his ten fingers, and send him out of my land." He added with a snarl, and the meekness I heard in his voice early was gone, replaced with what sounded like echoes or a roar.

The Alpha turned, and he walked away while the guards carried out his instructions and the wails of the offender rang through the air. How could he just walk away like that, without any ounce of sympathy for life. How does he expect a man without tongue, ear and fingers to fend for himself as an abandon? The rogues would attack him and devour him.

"That was the Alpha Supreme, Alpha Keiser Aroha Cavagno. Get moving or you might end up like that man." One guard barked, and we all huddled together, continuing on our walk to the building.

Yet I couldn't keep the wails of the man out of my head, nor the cold smile on that Alpha's face. He is the Alpha supreme. Is this what would also happen to any of us if we made one simple mistake? I guess the rumours about the Alpha Supreme were right after all. He is a beast in broad daylight, and I hope I am not assigned to warm his bed.